In 1961 Banbury Borough Council signed the Town Development Act, giving them licence to expand Banbury and double the population. This thesis looks at central and local government policies to...Show moreIn 1961 Banbury Borough Council signed the Town Development Act, giving them licence to expand Banbury and double the population. This thesis looks at central and local government policies to analyse why the Borough Council decided to make this decision that would drastically change Banbury from a small market town into an industrial centre for many different businesses. In order to do this it looks at the build up to signing the Act and what the main motivating factors were. It tests five hypotheses of why the Council decided to expand: opportunism, the desire to increase the rateable value of Banbury, the need to diversify industry, the Borough Council's need to increase their own power, and finally, fear of the town dying.Show less
